“He is awesome,’’ Johnson said. “He has great philosophies and my feeling is if the team buys into you he has a great chance of turning that organization around.’’

Seattle is just 9-23 over the last two seasons. Some aren’t sure Carroll’s coaching style will work in the NFL. Johnson doesn’t buy that. The Jets finished 6-10 under Carroll back in 1994.

“He’s a rah-rah guy, and he is a motivator,’’ Johnson said. “He makes you laugh and believes the game should be fun. He wants you to play hard, but have fun. I think he’ll do the same thing in Seattle. It will be interesting to see if they buy in as much as college kids.’’

As for what Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, a former Trojans player, thinks about Carroll’s approach for tonight’s game: “Pete is trying to get his team ready, and I’m trying to get my team ready. I could see him really wanting to win the ball game, but that’s no different from us.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/08/14/stafon-johnson-predicts-carroll-success/feed/0Carroll passes Williams for Tatehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/04/23/carroll-passes-williams-for-tate/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/04/23/carroll-passes-williams-for-tate/#commentsSat, 24 Apr 2010 04:40:10 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=6065Southern Cal’s Damian Williams became the fifth receiver taken in the NFL Draft when the Titans selected him 77th overall on Friday night. The fourth receiver taken was Notre Dame’s Golden Tate, who went to the Seahawks at 60th overall, in the second round.

Williams sounded ecstatic to join the Titans. But he was a little surprised some other teams passed on him, especially Seattle. The Seahawks’ new coach, Pete Carroll, coached him as USC. Along with the Seahawks, Williams attracted interest from the Patriots, Broncos and Panthers leading up to the draft.

“I don’t know (why),’’ Williams said of Carroll passing on him to take another receiver. “He chose whoever he thought was the best there to get the job done. Golden Tate is a great player. I got a chance to play against him and he is a great athlete. I think he will do well up there. I think that just wasn’t the right place for me.’’

Like Tate, Williams is expected to play a role immediately in the NFL as a return man.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/04/23/carroll-passes-williams-for-tate/feed/1White: Equal respect for Fisher, Carrollhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/01/15/white-equal-respect-for-fisher-carroll/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/01/15/white-equal-respect-for-fisher-carroll/#commentsFri, 15 Jan 2010 14:52:24 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=4502Not long after former USC coach Pete Carroll was hired by the Seahawks, the buzz began about Titans running back LenDale White potentially being reunited with his old college coach.

White, of course, is scheduled to be a free agent. If he’s unrestricted, the Seahawks would be able to sign him in March. If there’s not a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and he’s restricted, it would be more complicated for Seattle — or anyone else — to acquire him.

While White speaks highly of Carroll, he reiterated he’s not itching to leave Tennessee.

“I don’t want Titans fans to think I am trying to bail on them,’’ said White, who had just 222 yards on 64 carries in 2009. “I love it here. I’d love to stay here, I just want carries. I just want to play. It’s what I’ve always said.

“Yes, I have great respect for Pete Carroll. But I also have great respect for Jeff Fisher and that will never change. He has helped me so much in my career.’’